Contract Growing
The Right Genetics, Quantities, & Sizes for Your Project
Built for reclamation, infrastructure, and landscape projects where plant failure is not an option.
When your restoration, stormwater, roadside, mine reclamation, or commercial landscape project demands hardy native species, specific source material, or large quantities, relying on speculative inventory can be risky. Contract growing is the most reliable solution for project success.
Great Bear Native Plants offers professional contract growing services to ensure you have the spec-appropriate plant material, right when you need it.
Our clients include reclamation contractors, landscape architects, utilities, mining operations, and public agencies working across the American West.
Why Contract Grow with Us?
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Guaranteed Availability: Contract growing locks in your inventory months or years in advance, aligning plant development with biological timelines, not just project schedules. For grasses and herbaceous species, we typically need a lead time of 3–6 months. For shrubs and trees, plan for 1–2 years depending on the desired container size.
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Site-specific seed and cuttings: We understand that "native" isn't enough: local matters. We can grow from your site-specific seed collections or source commercial seed adapted to your project’s elevation and eco-region. Availability is subject to collection limits and regional supply. If appropriate genetics don’t exist commercially, we’ll tell you.
Learn more about our seed services here.
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Volume & Uniformity: Whether you need 500 liners or 2,000 #1 containers, our production approach prioritizes uniform root development and hardened-off stock to reduce transplant shock and early mortality in harsh field conditions.
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Cost Efficiency: Securing your grow in advance often reduces costs compared to piecing together orders from multiple nurseries at retail rates.
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Project Coordination Support: For complex projects, we can also help coordinate supplemental materials such as wetland sod, seed, and soil amendments (FertPaks, mycorrhizae tabs), and connect clients with experienced, MSHA-certified restoration and planting crews.
Diverse Production Formats
Our production decisions are driven by survival in the field, not just greenhouse performance. We grow to your specifications. We produce high-volume liners and plugs (10ci, 40ci) for cost-effective restoration, as well as container stock (#1 and #2 gallons) for projects requiring immediate visual impact and established root systems.
Great Bear Capabilities
Production Power meets
Ecological Precision
From large-scale reclamation to detailed landscape architecture, we grow to your specifications. We produce high-volume liners and plugs (10ci, 40ci) for cost-effective restoration, as well as container stock (#1, #2, and #5 gallons) for projects requiring immediate visual impact and established root systems.
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Custom Sourcing
Your restoration goals define our growth. We can propagate from native provided seed and cuttings root-to-shoot, source appropriate commercial seed for your eco-region, or explore project-specific collections to ensure the genetics are defensible and appropriate for your site conditions.
Regionally Hardened
Hardening off isn't optional in the Intermountain West, with elevation, wind, UV exposure, and temperature swings. Our facility utilizes both controlled indoor environments for germination and extensive outdoor growing areas for acclimatization. Every plant we ship is fully hardened off to withstand the harsh realities of the Intermountain West’s climate and elevation.
Native Plant Contract Growing FAQs
How far in advance do I need to book a contract grow?
Native plants operate on biological time. For grasses and herbaceous species, we typically need a lead time of 3–6 months. For shrubs and trees, please plan for 6 months –2 years depending on the desired container size.
Do you require a deposit?
Yes. Because contract grows are custom-produced for your specific project, we require a deposit to reserve space in our production schedule and secure the necessary seed. The balance is due upon delivery or pickup. If we have a crop failure or are unable to deliver plants that were paid for, we will reimburse you for the amount lost.
What if I don't have the seed for my project?
No problem. While many clients provide their own site-specific collections, we have an extensive network of commercial seed vendors. We can source the best available genetics for your project’s elevation and zone.
Do you offer installation services?
We focus exclusively on the production and supply of plant material. However, we have worked with the best reclamation and landscape crews in the West and are happy to help coordinate delivery logistics or provide referrals for installation.
Is there a minimum order size?
We prioritize projects where we can add the most value, which are typically larger restoration or landscape efforts. Please contact us with your project details—even if you are unsure if you meet a "minimum," we can often combine smaller species requests if they fit into our existing production cycles.
What container sizes do you recommend for field survival?
Container size selection depends on species, planting method, site conditions, and timeline. In many restoration contexts, smaller plugs and liners establish more effectively than oversized containers due to better root-to-soil contact and lower transplant stress. We regularly advise clients away from certain sizes when they compromise root structure or long-term survival, even if they appear more robust at delivery.
Do you provide provenance or seed source documentation?
When available, we provide seed source information and propagation records to support project documentation and review requirements. The level of documentation depends on seed origin, collection method, and project scope, and will be discussed during contract development.
